He only goes to the US if Klinsmann promises he'll make the team for this summer's WC & plays. Otherwise he'd be wise to wait Germany. I think he could make the German team in time for '18 WC where ever it ends up.

really excited tht Green is gonna be a part of the US team...gotta think the other German-Americans helped him feel right at home. His dad is a big time supporter as well...he's got a lot of potential from everything I've read. Pep is also a fan which speaks volumes for an 18yr old at the best club in the world at the moment. Hope he gets some mins this year once they seal the Bundesliga title

Very surprised, might even be shocked Green is coming over to the US team. This is such a coup for Klinsmann & US Soccer. Very very happy to get such a talented kid. I wonder who this impacts on the team.

With all due respect to Bob Bradley, this is precisely why I thought Klinsmann should've been hired from jump those years ago but we di**ed around & prolonged the inevitable. So glad Klinsmann is here for the long haul. It gives the program the right direction it needed & this is proof positive.

I was always optimistic but this was pretty fast. Jurgen is an A1 sales man and the players welcomed Green at camp but I think the money marketing potential was the biggest factor. When I read his agents were really taking the time to discuss with him the long term possibilities and implications of this kind of choice I thought we had a good chance.

Hoping for a bright future and he couldn't be in a better position to develop. Small, fast technical player under Pep who rates him.

I missed his cameo back in the CL last year. Haven't (and certainly won't now) watched the Youtube clips. Maybe Pep will give him some minutes in the league after Bayern clinches this week or next. Wait...I can't watch that either. Oh well...

No doubt he will be on the WC roster. If it's taking the place of Brad Davis or Brek Shea at #23, no issue. I'll be a little sad for Terrence Boyd if he's the last man cut. I love TBoyd.

Cherundolo is supposedly announcing retirement today. Knee injuries caught up with him. Hopefully USSF does something for him at one of the send-off games.

AMSTERDAM – A representative from the German soccer federation told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday that although Germany lost out on the international services of Bayern Munich II hotshot Julian Green, the Germans certainly did not go down without a fight.

On Tuesday, Jurgen Klinsmann announced that the 18-year-old Tampa native had filed a binding onetime FIFA allegiance switch in order to commit to the US national team.

As it turns out, the staff of Germany senior side boss Joachim Löw was in contact with Green up until the final decision was made.

"We also were in contact with Julian Green,” Germany national team communications director Ralf Köttker told MLSsoccer.com. “[Löw's assistant coach] Hansi Flick (above, left) had a personal conversation with him. But ultimately, it is the personal choice of each individual, as we urge for anyone. Anyone opting for the DfB must also be one hundred percent behind it."

Green, who played two U-19 European Championship qualifiers for Germany back in October, recently trained with the US ahead of their March 5 friendly loss to Ukraine in Cyprus. He has been released by Bayern for the April 2 US friendly against archrivals Mexico in Arizona, but it is not yet known whether his FIFA switch will be approved in time for a debut appearance.

Until then, Green will carry on as top scorer for Bayern II, who stand atop the fourth-flight table. The youngster, who has recently been moved back out to his natural wing position, will try to add to his season total of 15 goals when the young Bavarians visit Viktoria Aschaffenburg on Saturday.

^too add to that, I'm not so sure Green has an automatic pass to play in the WC.

Yes, he has like 3 months to prove himself WC-worthy, but I'm not sure that will be enough time/chances with the team for him to ultimately show out.

At the forward spots you gotta assume Jozy, Johannson, EJ have solidified their standing over the qualifying process.

I suppose that really does leave the 4th forward spot open for a fight between Green, Boyd, and Herc, and to a lesser extent Agudelo and ******* Wondo; highly doubt the last two will be a consideration.

Also, in thinking about the backline, I'm getting a god damn migraine just thinking about how whatever 4 we have back there is gonna hold up

Sidenote, I've really grown to dislike Lalas over the years, such a pretentious, loathing, **** head he has grown to be

Quote:

A while back @J_Klinsmann told me he wouldn't use a #USMNT WC roster spot on player that couldn't help this summer.

Green had to have been promised not only a roster spot but also playing time. The US forwards/strikers haven't been playing well as of late specifically Jozy & Clint. Johannson has looked comfortable from jump & ready to contribute. Also looks like he'll get stronger/better with more playing time. Green can play the striker role or on the left side. Really he could play any position in the attack.

Lalas is to football what Trent Dilfer is to NFL. Both think they were better than they really were & are loud mouth schnooks.

Green's dad on his son's switch, if World Cup promise was made

Leander Schaerlaeckens

FOX Soccer

Green committed to making the switch from Germany to the USA on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, 18-year-old German-American Bayern Munich prospect Julian Green committed to making a one-time switch and represent the United States internationally, after a long courtship by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. On Wednesday morning, FOX Soccer caught up with Green's Tampa, Fla.-based father Jerry, to elaborate on his son's decision.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length but not for content:

FOX Soccer: Have you spoken to Julian since his decision was announced?
Jerry Green: Yeah, I talked to him a little bit yesterday. He was very happy and looking forward to going out and playing -- really excited about it.

FOX: Why did he choose the United States?
JG: I didn't ask him why he chose them, so I can only speculate. I think a lot of it has to do with the comfort level that he feels with the teammates of his and also a lot has to do with the coach.

FOX: How long does Klinsmann's courtship of Julian date back?
JG: Two or three years, it's hard to say. Klinsmann first of all is a great coach, Julian knows that. Of course, he also knows that Klinsmann played for Bayern and he coached Bayern for a little while. So there's that connection there and I think that's a very strong and deep connection for Julian, to know that there is a coach there that he identifies with and has a lot of respect for. At the end of the day, that was probably the thing that won out at the end.

FOX: How much of a factor was Klinsmann's own playing pedigree to Julian, given that he was born just three years before Klinsmann retired?
JG: I think it was huge. If you're a student of the game, the way Julian is, he's well aware of the players who played before him.

FOX: Why did Julian make this decision now?
JG: I don't know why he made it now. My personal thought is that he felt comfortable enough after his two-day trip to Frankfurt with the team. The opportunity to go and participate and practice with the team had a lot to do with it. From what he told me, the team really embraced him, the guys were great. He felt at that point that he was ready to make that choice.

FOX: How much of a factor do you think the 2014 World Cup was in the decision?
JG: I don't think it had anything to do with it, quite frankly and honestly. Julian and I, the times that we've touched on the World Cup, it's not something that he was ever preoccupied with. Really, to be truthful, his preoccupation has always been with Bayern and how he's doing there and how he's doing and how he can continue to make strides to make it to the first team. World Cup conversations, at least between the two of us, have been very, very minimal, if at all. He's never really had a focus on the World Cup. It's not something he's given too much thought to.

FOX: Does he then think that playing for the USA will help his club career?
JG: I think that he feels that it will help his club career. When you play professional soccer, anytime that you can play at a national level, it can only aid you with the team that you're presently playing for. Because their thought is, "Wow, if we have a player on our team and his country team wants him to play" -- now granted he has basically two countries -- it can only help. And it helps in your growth too, overall.

FOX: But wouldn't it have been more convenient to Bayern if he held out for Germany so he wouldn't be traveling so much?JG: Perhaps. I can't speak for them and I don't know if convenience was something they were really focused on. I think the larger point for the Bayern folks is that they want to make sure that their player isn't exhausted to the point where when he comes back to the club he's not effective. My understanding is that coach Klinsmann did call Bayern and explained to them his plan for Julian as far as him coming here to play games. I think his call to them might have helped ease any concern that they had in that area.

FOX: Did Jurgen and Julian talk about this upcoming World Cup? Did Jurgen make any promises about that?JG: My understanding from Julian is that the two days that they spent in Frankfurt, the World Cup came up maybe one time and he told him that if you play hard, if you practice hard, if you're good enough, you have an equal shot like anybody else would have. And that's, I guess, all he needed to hear. I think he was satisfied to know that he would have as good a chance as anybody else and that him coming in late would not necessarily hurt him if he was able to perform.

FOX: Was the German federation notified that a switch was happening? Did they put up any resistance?
JG: I don't know what the German position is on Julian. I lived in Germany for 13 years. I have a pretty good idea of how Germans operate and they're very process-oriented. When it comes to soccer, the process is you play for the youth teams and when your time comes you make your way to the national level. They're not as vocal in the media as we are here in America about the way that we do things and what we want. That was never a concern for me, nor was it a concern for Julian because we understand that Germans operate on their own timetable, they believe in their own process. When the time is right, that's when they take action.

FOX: They don't worry about a youth player until he gets into the senior team picture, is what you're saying?
JG: Well, there's just a process that you go through. They realize, the Germans already know, that they have their team already set. They know what players are out there, they absolutely know what talent is there, but they also know that they have a process. And you go through their process and if you're good enough you'll play and that's just how they look at things. I fully believe that had he waited, going through all the steps and waited the time, he certainly would have been involved with them at the national level. But it was always my desire that he play for the American team, that's no secret. But at the end of the day, it was of course his decision to make. As an American, I think Julian can help [the USA]. That's important to me because I want to see us win.

He ain't the second coming of Messi but he's a talented kid. The last time Pep was this high on a youngster was Thiago. Green is a great dribbler with both feet particularly with his left. Very good finisher whether it's shooting with power or finesse. He'll be a very exciting player to watch. Very excited about the prospects of a US attack featuring Johannsson & Green.

Deuce might not be contributing much on the pitch but he apparently helped seal the deal with Green. A quote from him about what helped seal the deal in choosing the USNT. Deuce with the assist!

Quote:

A big part of the decision was the experience I had in Frankfurt. All the players were super nice and welcomed me from the beginning. Clint Dempsey gave me a jersey with my name on it, and the way they supported me gave me a lot of belief. The coaches have shown a lot of trust in me, and now I hope to do everything I can to earn a spot on the World Cup roster.

I havent seen Julian Green play before, is he really that good. My friends are acting like he is the next coming of Messi

Just my opinion but you really can't blame Americans for being excited. Greatest player in the world status might be one of few metrics beyond reason. Going strictly off talent and potential, future starter for a round of 16 Champions League caliber team? Perfectly within reason.

Of course anything can happen and we all know how pointless it is to place too much stock in potential.

That said prospects of his caliber, at his age, who've had his kind of career progression, simply don't NOT make it because they're not good enough (I mean make it long term as a successful pro somewhere in a top league, not break into Bayern's first team). The only exceptions are injuries, attitude, off the field problems, etc.

When you think about it, he's been competing with and against the best players in the world everyday for the past year. Spent time training with them in stints since he was sixteen.

He's 18 years old, his technical development and dexterity are virtually maxed out. What you see in those areas right now is the real deal. He's already technical enough and skilled enough to play with the Gotze's, Schweinsteiger's, and Ribéry's of the world. His athleticism is beyond question. By all reputable accounts his game intelligence and attitude are on point. He's received one of the best footballing educations a player can get and he's playing under one of the best managers on the planet.

That's why I was talking about the financial incentive to play for the USA earlier. I guarantee someone at Nike HQ was aware of the news yesterday. If he develops into a legitimate start at the club level and performs for the USMNT, which he and his father obviously believe he will, he's going to be the first Tiger Woods of soccer in the states. Bet that.

I know I sound like a cheerleader but as far as prospects go he's about as safe a bet as it gets.

For the record I've never seen him play a live match but I've seen more than enough clips and heard/read more than enough feedback to believe with absolute certainty that right now at 18, he brings more to the USMNT than Boyd, Shea, Herc, or Agudelo.

Just my opinion. FWIW I've followed him closely since the beginning of summer, I try to be as objective as possible but as a player, coach, and fan I've always held a very optimistic view of things.Edited by ICE CITY FC - 3/19/14 at 9:48pm

Good post @Icecityfc on top of that it also gives a better vision to where soccer in the US is heading, what JK is pushing. This really opens a lot of doors....and some more good news

Quote:

USA to start U-21 national team program
By Ryan Rosenblatt  @RyanRosenblatt on Mar 20 2014, 2:20p +

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Jurgen Klinsmann's latest change to U.S. youth development has the green light -- an U-21 team.

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The United States is growing their youth program. Frustrated with their lack of a program after the age of 20, they are adding a U-21 team to their youth program, according to Brian Sciaretta. The new age group will eventually serve as preparation for the Olympics, with the current U-21's being eligible for the 2016 Games.

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To have U-21, U-22 and U-23 teams is common in Europe, where players are considered "youth" through their Olympic year. That isn't the case in CONCACAF, where teams only compete through the U-20's, with the exception of hastily put together Olympic teams.

Jurgen Klinsmann has made youth development a priority for the U.S. and has spoken before to the importance to keep players in the program past the age of 20. This new team will do just that.

The obstacle for the U.S. will be getting players to join them with any regularity because many 21-23 year olds are important members of their clubs, and finding competition for the team. They will have to travel to Europe for most of their good competition, where they could play against other international U-21, U-22 or U-23 teams as well as club teams at those age levels. They will also get to play some Mexican club teams, which have reserve teams full of older youth players, as well as USL or MLS reserve teams. The Pan American Games will probably be their biggest non-Olympics-related competition.

The first U.S. U-21 camp will take place next month at the StubHub Center. It is still unclear who will coach the team, but this is still a major development in U.S. youth development, even if only in the investment it requires. As for how necessary and successful, we'll find out.

The first id² Training Camp of the current cycle targeting boys born in 2001 and girls born in 2000 wrapped up in Portland, Ore., this past weekend. A total of 65 clubs from 15 different states were represented among the 109 players who attended the four-day, comprehensive player identification and development camp from March 20-23.

Training and games were split between Nike World Headquarters and the Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex in Beaverton, Ore. Players had busy daily schedules of training sessions, competitions, team meetings and presentations. The camp curriculum for both genders featured heavy emphasis on high-level functional technical training and general team tactics.

The camp was led by id² Boys Program Director Gerry McKeown, id² Girls Program Director Rory Dames and id² Girls Program Associate Director Tricia Taliaferro, with top staff from around the country, many of whom work with U.S. youth national teams: Jason Dewhurst (FC Stars of Massachusetts), Stephen Kiss (Tualatin Hills United SC), Hideki Nakada (University of Oregon), John Newman (Princeton SA), David Richardson (Sockers FC Chicago) and Corbin Stone.

Top performers from the two Spring id² Training Camps, the second of which will be held April 3-6 at WRAL Soccer Center in Raleigh, N.C., as well as from a pair of camps to come in the fall, will be selected for id² National Selection programming at the end of the cycle. As part of the previous id² Program cycle, the id² National Selection International Tour to Italy targeting boys born in 2000 concluded earlier this month. Details of the id² National Selection Training Camp targeting girls born in 1999 will be announced soon.

An Olympic Development Program approved by the United States Olympic Committee and U.S. Soccer Federation, the id2 Program provides an opportunity for the country’s elite youth soccer players to be identified and developed, while also being scouted for inclusion in U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs.

Green’s decision to commit to the United States has served as a significant boost to the national team program and is the latest success story for a recruitment drive which has sought to identify U.S.-eligible young talent based outside the country.

"For us, it was clear he is a young kid with a great future," U.S. men’s national team assistant coach Andreas Herzog told ESPN FC last week. "If there is a 50/50 chance with Germany and the U.S., we have to try everything to show him the possibilities he can have with the U.S. national team.

"We had to be fast. We had to be real quick and convince him American football is getting better and better and that he can have a really good future with us," he added. "I met him four or five times, and I was watching his games, then I tried to explain [to] him not only the positive things about us, but also the difficulties, such as the amount of traveling."

Christof Koepsel/Getty ImagesJurgen Klinsmann's trusted assistant, Andreas Herzog (upper left), is in charge of the U.S.'s operations out in Europe.

Herzog is well-known in Germany after a decade playing in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich and, in the case of Green, a previous stint as head coach of the Austrian U21 team also served him well.

"The best Austrian player, David Alaba, I think he has a good relationship to Julian Green," Herzog revealed. "If I’m coming to Munich and I talk to David Alaba -- I’m talking to Julian Green, everything is a little easier. It’s already a better start if you have a better relationship to people around our player."

Trips to Munich were not the end of the pursuit. Green was invited to the Frankfurt training camp and gifted a shirt byClint Dempsey. "I don’t know whose idea that was," Herzog explained. "Always when a player plays his first games, he gets the ball with signatures."

"There are a lot of things I’ve never seen before [in camps outside of the U.S.]; When I saw [Green’s] face, he looked really happy. It’s good for a young player that, right away, he got a good feeling for the whole staff and everything."

The news of Green’s decision has shed further light on U.S. Soccer’s operations in Europe. Based in Vienna, Austria, since 2011, Herzog and U.S. scout, Matthias Hamann, are engaged in a Europe-wide program to evaluate and monitor players, the roots of which can be traced back to 2009, two years before Jurgen Klinsmann took charge of the national team.

It was spearheaded by Thomas Rongen (then working with the U.S. U20 team), who identified a number of potential players that could join the U.S. program: "I needed to go outside the country," he told The New York Times in November 2011.

Rongen was instrumental in bringing players like Terrence Boyd and Timothy Chandler into camp -- both of whom qualified for the United States via their fathers in the U.S. military.

In Boyd’s case, gaining U.S. citizenship meant reaching out to his estranged father, something Rongen also attempted to help with.

"Thomas Rongen called me up for my first camp against France, but I didn’t have an American passport. He said to look for my family on social networks, and it worked," Boyd told ESPN FC recently.

A typical weekend for Herzog might begin in Birmingham, England, watching Will Packwood before a return to Germany to see FC Ingolstadt and Alfredo Morales. With weekends the focal point of scouting trips (ahead of weekday conference calls with Klinsmann), Herzog is keen to stress that he is not only watching U.S. players, but also their opponents in this summer’s World Cup.

"I was watching Schalke versus Real Madrid because of the three players of Portugal," Herzog said. "Then, I was watching Bayern Munich to get an overview of [Germany’s] national team players."

Herzog joined the U.S. setup after spells working with the Austrian national team, including one spell as interim head coach. After being overlooked for the position on a permanent basis, his former Bayern Munich teammate reached out to him.

"Jurgen called me. Maybe he read it somewhere and asked me, 'Andi, what’s going on?'" Herzog explained. "He said, 'I want you in my team.' I said I will finish my contract with the Austrian federation then come right over."

Herzog allows Hamann to focus on the younger prospects while he targets those players ready for the senior national team. Also evaluating dual nationals and potential new recruits, Herzog’s assessments reach far past training sessions and matches.

"It’s important to have a good relationship to the players, to their coaches -- maybe even a little bit to their agents -- to know what is going on in their future, what their thoughts are," Herzog said.

Tasked with convincing dual nationals that their future is with the United States, Herzog’s style is to remove any pressure on the candidate, and it has been well received by the likes of Boyd.

"I was roomed with John Brooks last camp," Boyd explained to ESPN FC. "John is a close friend of mine since we played in the youth team at Hertha Berlin. He already represented Germany for the youth national team, so it was kind of a mixed thing for him. Every time he comes to see the national team, he’s always happy because the atmosphere is very nice.

"He’s already told me that with German players, it is just a fight. Not only on the pitch -- of course you fight for your spot. Off the pitch they are not friends. I don’t care if I’m with Aron [Johansson] or Eddie [Johnson], we’re friends off the pitch, you know. We have one goal, we represent our country, we give everything to succeed as a country and if someone is playing or not, then just do better in the next training."

Thomas Niedermueller/Bongarts/Getty ImagesJulian Green's decision to join the U.S. has drawn excitement from the team's fans.

Herzog believes training camps can also represent a haven for the European-based players.

"Young players joining our group for the first one, two, three camps, we have to give them confidence and show them that we have a good feeling, a good understanding for his teammates and that he can trust the whole staff," he explained.

"If he has a problem with the club and he comes to the national team and we keep going like crazy, it doesn’t help him at all. We have to be a little bit of psychologists and support him every way we can."

Not yet a U.S. citizen, the teenager’s future is uncertain, as is that of Herzog. "My contract finishes at the end of the World Cup, so we’ll see what the future is, what Jurgen wants to do," Herzog explained.

One thing of which the former attacking midfielder is sure is the importance of U.S. Soccer maintaining its European outpost. "If you have so many players playing in Europe, it’s important you have someone in Europe supporting them, always contacting them and, especially, to support the head coach," Herzog said.

As for whether Klinsmann feels guilt over poaching players from his own country, Herzog is adamant he does not.

"No, it’s everywhere in Europe," he explained. "With the Germans, they have a lot of Polish-origin players or Turkish-origin players. It’s normal. If you see the roster and the squad from the German federation, they have a lot of young kids coming through.

"For us, the U.S., it is important that if a player like Julian Green, if we have a chance to get him, we have to try everything we can do to get him."